


what lies [a]bove

by fableknot



Series: Name and Night [1]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Ending D/E, F/M, Post-Game(s), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-10-22 13:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10698153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fableknot/pseuds/fableknot
Summary: Project YoRHa is finished, but the moon still watches.





	1. Chapter 1

Returning to the land of the living was an experience, to say the least.

From the moment 9S had woken on the rooftop, he had opened his eyes to a new world, as a new soul. Although it hadn't been the first time he died, something within him had changed. The growing horror that occupied his very core, the lies that haunted him from every cycle, had seemingly been ripped away. Perhaps it had to do with the memories that remained. No more secrets, no more mischief. For once, he was allowed to know the truth.

But for everyone else, life continued as usual.

It took a while to get used to the strangeness of it all. He and 2B had tried to tell anyone they could that there was no meaning to the war but in some areas, it raged on without regard. It eventually occurred to them that old prejudices couldn't be wiped away so easily. The two of them, at least, refused to take part.

They were tired of fighting, of mindlessly killing on someone else's whim. What's more, they were tired of this place, where the smallest thing reminded them of tragedy.

 _No one's going to hunt us down,_ 2B had said one day. _Let's see whatever's left of this world together._

It was joke, or something he thought was a joke at the time, but the longer the notion sat, the more it enticed. Within a week, they had packed their belongings and said their goodbyes. By the end, the only person they hadn't made amends with was A2. 9S hadn't seen her since they fought inside the Tower, although the pods had assured them that she was doing well. To be fair, he was still bitter from what she'd done, which was probably why the pods kept quiet about her location, but he could honestly say that he didn't have the urge to kill her.

So they left, spurred by the thought that they would go as far as they could and that someday, they might return.

From time to time, they received messages from the Council of Humanity. Recordings, as they had learned. 9S could tune them out for the most part. With 2B there to distract him, it became easier and easier.

She talked a lot more. Smiled often. She had changed just as much as he had.

He asked her once, out of curiosity, whether she wanted to be known from then as 2B or 2E. She didn't respond, and he instantly regretted opening his mouth. Although his question had been innocent enough, he could tell that it pained her to speak about it. They swore they would share everything from now on, but there were still some things she wasn't ready to face.

That wasn't to say that 9S was, by any means, indifferent to the past. More often than he'd like, he had felt himself slipping back in the shadows that once held him close, where the whispers of doubt clawed at the back of his mind. But she would always be there to catch him.

"9S," he heard her say.

His eyes came open, and he caught a hint of worry in her expression.

"What is it?"

Her shoulders slumped a little in relief. "You were tossing around while you were slept. I thought you were being attacked by a virus."

He blinked. "Like I was having a nightmare, you mean?"

"Androids don't have nightmares," she replied.

"No," he conceded, "but I know that memory files sometimes slip into our consciousness during sleep. Almost similar to how humans dreamt." He'd seen records of other androids documenting similar occurrences.

She averted her gaze. "Whatever the case, I only wanted to make sure that you're alright."

He smiled. "I'm fine, 2B."

She had become terribly cautious since the pods brought them back online. Apparently, his condition had been so severe that she had to scavenge for a crystal left over from the Ark, nearly destroying herself in the process. He could still recall the words she said that day. _I'm not going to lose you again._ It sounded so incredibly dramatic, he had almost laughed. But the look on her face had been earnest, and he didn't dare make light of that.

When 2B finally returned to her spot, he leaned his back against the grassy field they made their camp in and stared up at the night sky. It took a while for him to power down, and soon his mind began to wander. One idea led to another and soon enough, curiosity picked at him, a feeling he was well familiar with.

 _No,_ he thought. _Not this again._ He was happy being here, with 2B. Even if it were merely as friends. He didn't want to think about Project YoRHa anymore, let alone involve himself with anything that was remotely related.

Yet each time he tried to ignore it, another question would come to mind.

How much of YoRHa actually remained? Was there really just a rusty old server up there that held the remnants of the human genome? Were there any more aliens that lingered somewhere among the stars? He thought he had known the truth, but he wouldn't put it past them to paint even more layers of deception.

 _No_.

They were free.

That was all that mattered.

One by one, his systems switched off until finally, he was able to sleep. But there was no escaping one thought.

He wanted to go to the moon and see the truth for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Sorry for the info-dumping, by the way, and the purple prose here and there. I'll try to cut down on that in any future chapters. I have to admit, there are a lot of parts I missed from the game's lore, since I haven't taken the time to read every single description or even page through the novellas yet. If I make a mistake somewhere, feel free to let me know! | This chapter was last updated on March 26, 2018.


	2. Chapter 2

It was silence that stirred 2B from slumber. Her sensors could no longer pick up the pods' familiar clicks and whirs. She rose to her feet, straining her ears for any other sounds nearby, but there was only the wind that cut continuously through the glade. A slow sort of terror curled in her chest. Her skin prickled, her pulse raced.

"9S," she said, almost a whisper. "9S." She had made a run for the forest, her voice growing louder each time she called out to him. "Nines, where are you?" She set her internal scanners to hone in on his black box signal. Her range was severely limited without her pod, but it was something.

She leapt to the treetops so that she could have a better vantage, shaking up the leaves as she went. He couldn't have gotten far. Was he injured? Had he been kidnapped again? Just where were the pods when she needed them?

Her scanners pounded her with alerts to a faint signal in the area and she immediately hit the ground, taking a sharp right to its location. She had no access to Virtuous Contract without 042. Nevertheless, she was tensed for a fight. Whether or not she had a sword on hand, she was an android who specialized in combat.

She held her arms to her head as she broke through a clearing, her boots splashing against a gentle stream. She winced at the shafts of warm light that greeted her through the forest canopy, allowing her visual system to adjust to her surroundings.

"2B?"

9S was bent over the middle of the stream, looking mildly surprised and a tad confused. Dozens of fish swam at his feet, while Pod 153 hovered wordlessly in the background.

"9S," she breathed.

It only took him a moment to realize the grim conclusion she came to. "You were worried again."

She didn't reply. If he knew her so well, he shouldn't have—

"I hadn't meant to stray so far from the campsite," 9S explained. "I thought I heard something before we arrived at the field yesterday, so I went to investigate. I guess I ended up staying longer than I intended."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Inwardly, she cursed herself at how foolish she was being. Since when had she become so anxious? There was nothing wrong with emotion—now that she could express it—but in this case, they overwhelmed her. As the days passed, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up the appearance of being apathetic, and a treacherous part of her wanted to think it was for the best.

After a while, 9S spoke. "Care for some R&R?"

2B raised a brow. "R&R?"

"It's a," he made a gesture with his hand, "human expression for rest and relaxation."

"Oh?" She crossed her arms. "I thought we were already resting and relaxing." That was the whole point of this trip after all.

"Not quite." Then, without warning, he sent a splash of water in her direction. Obviously, her sensors weren't for nothing so she simply took a step to the side, missing it by a hairsbreadth.

"That could damage our circuits," she warned. Older models might have required some sort of liquid to function, but the newer generations were fully autonomous. Even so, that didn't stop 9S from enjoying an occasional bath.

"A little water won't hurt," he said. He splashed her again, which she dodged just as easily.

He shot her a grin. She couldn't help but smile back.

It was the last peaceful moment they shared before all hell had broken loose.

In the no-holds-barred water fight that followed, she had struck first, sweeping her foot across the surface of the stream, spurting thousands of droplets into the air. It was a distractor for the most part, so that she could angle herself behind him undetected. She drew her leg back, intending to deliver the finishing blow and claim a quick victory.

However, as if he'd known exactly what she planned, he suddenly flung himself against her chest, knocking her off balance. Before she could recover, he had dashed away to a safe distance.

She slid back into a combative stance. "Don't think you can escape so easily."

"I don't know," he drawled. "I think all this traveling has made you soft."

"We'll see about that," she said before she sprung toward him.

In the end, neither of them emerged as the victor, and both would find themselves sprawled across the bank hours later, barely able to move.

"I think," 9S began, sounding more than a tad breathless, "I just expended all of my energy for the day."

"Agreed," 2B said, equally so. "We might need to take the afternoon to recharge."

She wanted to close her eyes and get the process over with, but she found that all she could do was stare up at the sky, acutely aware of 9S next to her and the pulse thundering in her ears. Her skin was flushed with exhaustion, an indication that she was close to reaching her maximum operating temperature despite the dress working to diffuse it, but there was another reason to it, one that was much more mundane.

"What were you doing earlier?" she asked, forcing herself to brush the notion aside.

"When you found me?" 9S said. From the corner of her eye, she could see him turn his head to look at her. "I was fishing."

"Why weren't you using your pod to fish?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to give it a try for once. They actually make it look much easier than it is." He inclined his head. "Where's your pod, anyway?"

She finally met his gaze. "He's not with you?"

"I wouldn't leave you alone out there."

She pulled herself up to her elbows. "Pod," she said, turning to 153, "Where is 042?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fair warning that I have finals in the beginning of May, so it may take me awhile to get started on any continuation. I'm kind of making things up as I go along, but I do have an idea of where the story is headed. Hopefully, we'll start tearing into the real meat soon. As always, let me know if I made any mistakes, and thanks for reading! | This chapter was last updated on March 4, 2018.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean I don't have the authority to ask that?"

"YoRHa unit 2B lacks the authority to request that information," 153 repeated. "Proposal: Unit 2B should state an alternate intention for data collection."

9S exhanged a look with 2B before returning his attention to the pod. They had gotten back on their feet, taking places on either side of 153.

"I don't suppose I'm any different," 9S suggested.

"Affirmative."

"Why don't I have the authority?" 2B snapped, visibly irritated at this point. "He was assigned to me. I should be made aware of his position."

"Affirmative," 153 answered. "Pods belonging to the YoRHa tactical support system are required to assist at all times. They cannot fulfill this task if they are separated from their support assignment."

2B made a noise under her breath. "Then I don't understand. Has something happened to him? Is he in danger?"

His pod hovered still, betraying nothing.

"Please," 9S said, taking a more sympathetic tone than 2B. "You have to tell us."

She turned to him then. Pods may not have had the components to be able to show expression, but he tried to search her appearance for anything that might give her away. He didn't want to resort to hacking her to get the information they needed. He'd already had enough of that after everything that's happened.

Just when he thought his pod would keep quiet after all, her speaker popped from the top of her head. "Attempting to initiate contact," she said. "Scanning." She paced. "Cannot establish connection. Cross-regional data yields no further information. Analysis: Pod 042 was last seen with unit 2B, yet his current status is unknown. Hypothesis: Pod 042 was likely taken."

"By whom?" 2B asked.

"Unable to reply."

9S rubbed a hand at his temple, becoming just as frustrated with her perplexing behavior. "Wait a minute," he exclaimed. Something didn't add up. "Project YoRHa is over, right? Then why are you still bound by any rules at all? Just where are they coming from?"

Her end effectors spun around and back like a nervous tic. Finally, she relented. "The support system should no longer exist. You should no longer exist. Yet we have broken the project rules. We allowed each of you to continue living. We accompanied you during your travels, although we were under no obligation to do so. It is possible that we may have angered them."

2B furrowed her brow. "The ones who created you," she guessed.

"At least we can stop playing the pronoun game," muttered 9S.

"We have to save him."

He leveled his gaze on 2B. Ever since they discarded their visors, he had learned to get a better read on her thoughts. The hardened glint in her eye, the determined set of her jaw—her mind was settled on the matter.

Still, his pod persisted. "Inadvisable: We understood the risks when we retrieved your data. It is strongly urged that you do not endanger yourselves and let our efforts be in vain."

"You wanted to break us free from the cycle so that we could have a choice," 9S said, coming to 2B's defense. "Well, we're choosing to return the favor. Besides," he took a step forward, "you want to save him too, don't you?"

This time, her silence spoke volumes.

"It's settled then." He turned to 2B. "Now where do we start?"

"Where do _I_ start," she corrected, cutting an arm through the air. "You're not coming."

He stared at her in disbelief. "You're kidding," he said. "I've accompanied you on plenty of missions before. I know how to fight."

"We're going up against the very same organization that created us. They collected our data for who knows what purpose. We have no idea as to what their capabilities are."

"Which is all the more reason I should come," he insisted. "I know more about them than you do. You're not going alone."

 _"And I'm not going to lose you."_ Her blue eyes burned fiercely into his, and her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. "Don't you understand? If they destroy you, there is no Bunker, no back-up system, no repair vaccine that will give you another chance." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Even if there was, I don't think I could stand to see that happen again."

"What about you?" She had gotten so close, enough that he could feel her breath on his skin, see the little mark on her chin and the water that clung to her lashes. He had never been so painfully conscious of anyone before in his life. "Someone has to watch your back," he said softly. "I worry about you, too."

She hadn't moved when he went to raise a hand to her cheek, brushing away the curls that hung about her face. It was strange how much warmth he could feel, even through the fabric of his glove. His whole body ached to lean into her, to reach up and tangle his fingers in her hair, dipping her lips against—

"Proposal: YoRHa units 2B and 9S should begin their journey immediately if they are to rescue Pod 042."

They quickly stepped away from each other, a deep set of red staining their cheeks. Their creators clearly made them more human than they ought to be.

"Of course," 2B said, regaining her composure. "Do you have any idea where they might have taken him?"

"I can't say," she answered truthfully, "but there is, perhaps, one place I know of."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And against my better judgement, I wrote even more. I think ninety-nine percent of those hits came from me from editing so much _(sweats)._ Criticism is greatly appreciated. | This chapter was last updated on December 4, 2018.


	4. Chapter 4

The coordinates they received from 153 brought them south, each step bringing them closer to where everything began. 2B hadn't expected to return so soon, although the pod assured them that they would still be a distance away from Pascal's village. As they trudged deeper into the wood, she was overcome by a wave of familiarity, one that brought comfort as well as unease.

"There's something I have to ask," 9S said as he swatted the branches away from their path. "If they're punishing 2B's pod for breaking the rules, why didn't they take you, too?"

"I can only speculate that it was because unit 2B was with him exclusively at the time, and she was powered down," said 153. "He had also been the one to insist that we should not delete your data."

2B looked away from the pod, guilt creeping up on her. It wasn't 9S she should have been worried about. She hadn't even considered 042 at all.

"Could they be following us?" 9S said.

2B couldn't deny the thought. "Possibly. They could be camouflaging their IDs even now, waiting to strike. For now, we keep moving."

The sun bore down from overhead. In another time, it would have hid itself behind the trees before giving away to night. It had been a while before 153 decided to speak again. She stopped at the roots of a large tree, rotating her effectors in deliberation.

"This is the place," she said. "The signal can be found just beyond here."

She led them around the trunk to reveal a towering structure overrun by plant life. Vines circled around the columns at the entrance, and layers of moss covered the large stone slabs. It looked strikingly similar to the Barren Temple in the desert, where 2B had hunted down 9S some time prior.

 _Goodbye,_ he had said. The logic virus she sent had already entrenched itself in the innermost parts of his systems. _Goodbye._

She looked over at 9S, the same feeling of quicksand closing around her throat. That was one life she was glad he wouldn't remember.

"We have never physically met with Command," 153 explained, pulling her from her thoughts. "Any data we need to send to them is uploaded wirelessly to a network. This building holds a device that acts as a waypoint between us and them."

"So maybe we'll find a clue as to where these guys are," 9S said.

2B frowned. "Before we go any further, we should probably arm ourselves, just to be safe. Pod, are you able to access my weapons cache and retrieve Virtuous Contract?"

"You are not my assignment. Therefore, any of attempts to access your cache will be rejected by the system. However, I may be able to supply you with any of the weapons belonging to unit 9S."

2B looked at 9S in question. He shrugged. "You can have Cruel Oath. I've got the Spear of Usurper."

She refrained from rolling her eyes.

"Alright," he exclaimed. "Pod, deploy weapons."

"Understood: Booting close-range attack equipment."

2B caught Cruel Oath as it materialized, playing around with the weight in her hands. It belonged to her once, but now it seemed foreign at her side.

"Alert: The structure appears to be emitting an electromagnetic field that's interfering with my sensors. I am unable to pinpoint the exact location of the device."

9S waved it away. "That's fine. It's just one building, right? How hard could it be?"

2B looked up from her sword. "Are you detecting any lifeforms from here?"

"Negative. However, please proceed with caution."

They nodded to one another before heading inside. The roof had come apart in some areas, allowing them with ample lighting to view their surroundings.

The floor was strewn with leaves and rubble. Staircases, more often than not, led to nowhere. Eventually, they arrived at a hall that diverted into two.

"I'll go this way," 9S suggested. "We'll make better progress if we cover more ground."

2B held out a hand before he could take off. "9S."

"Yes?"

She exhaled. "I want you to know that I trust you. I'll try not to be so overbearing from now on."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but shook his head and continued to run down the hall, his pod close behind. "We'll rendezvous back here in an hour," he yelled over his shoulder.

She watched as their figures disappeared around a corner and closed her eyes. She allowed her mind to calm, wrapping herself in a familiar indifference. _Distractions are prohibited,_ she told herself.

With that, she made her descent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read the novella translations. Wow. I thought this would actually be my longest chapter yet, but it ended up being my shortest, hehe. | This chapter was last updated on December 31, 2017.


	5. Chapter 5

9S hurried through the corridors, his boots tapping loudly against the tiled floor. He wanted to explore every inch of this place that was thick with earth, dust and the unknown. With each passing second, his mind had gone over hundreds of possibilities, his chest winding taut with excitement.

He skidded to a halt. Excitement? That couldn't be right.

He ducked under an open arch and came across an enormous chamber. Two rows of columns stretched from one side to another, splitting the room into three parts. Foliage grew from the cracks in the stone, snaking up on all sides. At the very end was a wide, shallow pool. Water still poured from the basin of a marbled woman, her sightless eyes staring down into his.

He walked up to her without thinking, as though he was being guided along by a string. Yet as soon as he neared the pool, part of the ceiling rained down on him from above. He leapt back with a curse, throwing his arms over his head. _Of course that would happen._ His eyes snapped up when something had hit the ground with a resounding thud. A sound fell from his lips.

_A2._

She had perched herself on the head of the fountain, haloed by a stream of light. Her silvery hair tumbled past her shoulders, just as it had when they first met. The perfect picture of an avenging angel, here to exact his punishment. Her gaze flicked towards him as she appeared to examine the room.

His grip on the spear tightened, his foot sliding back behind him. "What are you doing here?" His voice betrayed the resentment he felt. Funny how he could hold so much of a grudge towards the one person who had tried to tell him the truth.

A flight of doves that had been nesting undisturbed now circled the space above, their shadows flickering across the walls. One of them alighted on her shoulder, and A2 ran the pad of her finger along its head. She regarded it with an unusual amount of intimacy, as if it were a pet of some kind.

"I could ask the same of you," she said. "I see you're still alive. Did you lose 2B again?"

He gritted his teeth. She was cold, different from the person who tried to reason with him when he'd nearly been overtaken by the logic virus. Or rather, she returned to being exactly the way she was. In her face, he could see the walls that hid so much from him. In the Commander, 2B...

_"Watch out."_

A vine slithered itself behind him, shooting around his chest like a bullet. He gasped as it squeezed the air from his body, leaving him too stunned to fight back. _What another horrible way to die,_ he thought ruefully. Suddenly, the pressure gave way, and he collapsed on his knees. A2 had cut him loose, but they were far from being safe. He dug the Spear of Usurper in the ground to prop himself up, forcing himself to run through a quick diagnostic.

"Thanks for the warning," he said to his pod, which was more akin to a wheeze. She hadn't uttered a word.

"No lifeforms were detected," she replied, almost as detached as A2's.

9S climbed to his feet as the plants that occupied the room began to come to life. The three of them fell back to the edge of the pool, their weapons braced in front of them. "What's going on?" he asked. "What are they?"

"All I know is that I'm going to beat the hell out of every single one of them."

He spared A2 a glance before ordering, "Pod, initiate close-range battle support. Rely on visuals if you have to."

"Understood." Ammunition loaded by the dozens into her chamber, and she immediately directed her fire on the creatures, bathing the room in dazzling flashes of light. A2 worked her way around his pod, slashing through their ranks in leaps and spirals. Giant fissures, spraying stone and soil, ripped across the floor. 9S struggled to keep up with the chaos.

This was an enemy he couldn't hack. That had nothing for him to take. That had nothing for him to go on.

"We might have to retreat," he shouted, deflecting an attack from the side. "There's too many."

"Not until I have answers," A2 barked back.

"They can't talk." He winced as one of the vines cut through his sleeve. "They're plants."

They backed out to the hallway, trying their best to keep the creatures at bay, before breaking out in a run. The rooms they passed melted into a blur, and the walls echoed their passage as they went. He didn't care where they were going, as long as they were putting distance between them.

As they came close to the meeting point, he was reminded of 2B and made a grab for A2's wrist. She didn't argue as he lead her down the other path. The tiles eventually fell away into steps, and they were descending further down the complex. At the last step, they crashed through a steel door and slammed it behind them.

Trepidation thrummed through his circuits as he waited, yet all he could hear was the sound of his own breath. Satisfied that they were gone, he slid down to the floor in a heap and covered his head with his hands. The hum of 153's motor comforted him somewhat, stilling his bounding pulse. The dove was with them as well, apparently, pecking gently at his cheek.

"9S? A2?"

He parted his fingers. 2B stood over him, basking in a blue glow. A range of emotions flitted across her face. In the end, she decided on fury.

"What the hell happened up there?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, my headcanon is that the bird in the end became A2's companion. | This chapter was last updated on March 4, 2018.


	6. Chapter 6

_Distractions are prohibited._

2B sunk further into the dark. She felt her way through by tracing her free hand over the delicate creases carved into the column, carefully navigating down the narrow-cut steps. Fine grains of stone trickled beneath her fingers.

_Distractions are prohibited._

Whoever had built this place had dug its foundations deep into the earth. Daylight ceased to touch the lower levels of the stairway, forcing her to rely mostly on her sensors. Should she make her way back?

_Distractions are..._

She stopped, taking a moment to collect herself. Emotions were a peculiar thing, she reflected. It was understandable that she would need time to adjust. Eventually, she would rein in balance, without having to rely on old coping mechanisms.

"One step at a time," she murmured.

She carried on until she stumbled upon a door. Pressing her hand against its surface, she took note of how different it appeared from the rest. It was smooth, cool beneath her touch. Steel, perhaps. It had to have been added much later to the design. She could see a faint blue light emitting from the cracks around the door, calling for her to investigate.

She tested the knob. Locked. She would need a key.

She turned back, considering this for a moment. Then she spun around and thrust out her heel. Dust puffed out from the frame as the door swung open from its hinges.

It was a circular room with a ceiling reaching high into the shadows. Pulsing cables stretched from the walls to the very center, steadying a tall cylindrical device that stood in place. She swallowed as realization hit her. This was alien technology. They must have taken components from the mothership in the city ruins and re-purposed it.

Something rattled above her, further dispelling the dust from the room. It sounded like a wall somewhere had collapsed. _Nines,_ she thought.

She started toward the door but halfway to the knob, it had completely flown open. Her brows shot up in surprise at the sight before her. 9S, 153 and... A2.

A wave of emotions stirred from within her. 2B stuck with one that was easy to distinguish—rage.

"What the hell happened up there?" Senseless violence was something she detested most of all in YoRHa, but she hungered to punish whoever hurt them. Like all androids, a part of her would always revel in the heat of battle, consuming itself in the bloodlust.

9S reared up. "We were attacked by some sort of sentient lifeform. I think it was a," he looked at A2, "plant?" He shook his head. "Anyway, I wasn't able to learn much about them. They may be related to what's happening, or they could just be some overgrown but highly-advanced weed."

Concern clouded 2B's expression. "Are you hurt?"

He turned over his elbow to examine the cut on his arm. "Just a scratch."

Her gaze fell on A2, waiting for a response. She didn't seem to realize it at first, a faraway look discernible in her eyes, but she scowled once she had.

"Look," she said, "just because I helped you out once, it doesn't mean that we're suddenly friends."

2B blinked in surprise. Surely, sharing her memories with A2 afforded some amount of intimacy.

A2 looked from her to 153. "Aren't there usually two of them? Where is your pod?"

2B was solemn. "We believe he was taken by Command."

A2's expression dimmed and for a brief instant, there was nothing inscrutable about what she felt.

"Well," 9S broke in, feeling as awkward as 2B. He was quick to move the subject along. "What did you find?"

"This." 2B stepped out from their view to reveal the glowing object behind her.

The pod hovered around the room, performing a thorough scan on 2B's findings. "Analysis: The device appears to have been heavily integrated with alien technology. In its current state, it cannot be hacked by ordinary means. Further study is needed."

"Jackass might be able to figure it out," 2B said.

9S frowned. "Are you sure? She didn't look too happy when we last saw her. Said that she was going to, uh, 'blow shit up'?"

2B rested a hand on her hip. "She won't throw away the opportunity," she maintained. "Let's head over to the Resistance camp."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried reading part of the YoRHa Girls Musical. Interesting stuff. | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	7. Chapter 7

They left the building without further incident, although 9S threw a wary glance at every stem and leaf their way. The sun remained in the same position it always had, varying shades of blue streaking across the horizon. A long silence stretched between them as they traveled, filled only by the cicadas that called through the grass and the branches that broke underfoot.

A2 kept her distance, ever stoic. He could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head, sending chills up his spine. He was glad for the bird that was resting on her shoulder, which took a little bit away from the menacing atmosphere, and for 2B beside him. Around her, he could easily keep himself in check.

2B lead the front, and he stuck close. She had to have questions, he was sure. Tension crackled in the air like lightning until finally, she cleared her throat.

"9S," she said, lowering her voice for his ears alone. "While I am pleased to see A2 again, why is she here?"

His eyes darted to the side, sneaking a peek at A2. She had that same expression from the room that suggested her thoughts were anywhere else. "I don't know," he admitted. "She wouldn't tell me." He paused to recall what she said during their battle. "Although she did mention something about looking for answers."

2B sighed. "As long as she's on our side."

He flinched as a voice from behind yelled, "I can hear you, you know."

They crossed the divide between the forest edge and the city ruins, where empty streets yawned in every direction, misshapen buildings kissed the sky, and remnants of the Tower stood. As always, 9S was left with a feeling of melancholy.

Eventually, they could see the barriers that held the Resistance camp in the distance. A member draped in a tattered cloak came up to them. "You're back," she said. "I didn't think I would ever see you two again."

2B cut to the chase. "Do you know where Jackass is?"

Her face twisted. "That crazy bitch? She left."

9S bit the inside of his cheek. Had they reached a dead end?

"Do you know where she went?" 2B pressed.

She scoffed. "Afraid not. She just took a bunch of explosives with her one day and strode right out of camp." She rubbed a hand over her face. "Well, I might have actually heard about some android who got captured by a group of machines a while back. Maybe they have her."

"Thank you," 2B said, already turning the group back around.

"You're leaving?" the Resistance member called out to them, incredulous. "But you just got here."

9S laughed. "Sorry, it's urgent. Oh, I almost forgot, can you mark the location on the map for us?"

She pulled up a hard copy from her back pocket, skimming her finger over the parchment. "They should be around here," she said, stabbing a finger at the area of the shopping center. She proceeded to explain how it had been reconstructed in their absence. A fat droplet of water splattered over the ink, and the Resistance member turned her gaze heavenward.

"Looks like we might be in for a storm," she said. Dark clouds rolled overhead, turning the sky into an unending grey canvas. "Now I don't know what you all have been through today, but you look like you could use a nap. Devola and Popola aren't here to help anymore, and it wouldn't do any good for," she shrugged, "whatever it is you're up to if someone broke down." She tucked the map in his pocket, her eyes pleading. "You should stay until it passes."

9S looked to 2B. Although he was inclined to agree, he waited for her to decide.

"Until it passes," she said quietly. "Then we leave."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another short installment. Meanwhile, [on the blog](https://fableknot.tumblr.com/tagged/nier%3A-automata), my awfully-drawn, experimental comic concluded recently, and I decided to queue little doodles for this work ~~because I have no self-control~~. This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	8. Chapter 8

Thunder rumbled over the rooftops, accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain. 9S stood with 153 at the door, his hand resting on the frame, as 2B lay flat against her bed in the corner of the room. She nestled herself deeper into the cushions, tamping down the emotions the camp elicited from her. She wanted to leave and rescue 042 as soon as possible, but the Resistance member had a point.

A2 was somewhere nearby, she assumed, but there was nothing to stop her from going off on her own, since she had their lead. _It was her choice to join us, anyway,_ she thought, trying to ignore the flicker of hope that she might stay.

She went about shutting off her systems at a snail's pace, lingering about every switch, shuffling around her internal processes without haste. "At this point, should I count electric sheep?" she mused.

9S looked at her, his face cast half in shadow. "Do you need help?" he said. She was used to calling him from time to time to oversee her maintenance.

He eased himself down beside her, the edge of the cot sagging beneath his weight. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he took her hand in his and ran his thumb along the back of her glove in small, lazy circles.

Her pulse quickened. Instantly, she remembered the near kiss by the stream. There was no wind here to fan the heat away from her skin. She kept her eyes trained on his hand, not daring enough to see his expression. While she became an open book, he remained a mystery.

"You said you were fishing earlier," she murmured. "Do you think you can show me how, once this is over?"

His lips quirked into a smile. "I hadn't quite gotten the hang of it by the time you found me, but I'm sure you'll be a natural, ma'am."

She scowled at his teasing. "Don't call me 'ma'am'."

"If you say so."

A warm feeling unfurled in her chest, but it was soon doused by a sense of shame. "It's terrible, isn't it?" She closed her eyes. "My pod has done so much, and he's out there somewhere, while I..." Even as she was confiding her worries to him, she could feel a knot in her loosen. She liked being able to talk like this, as actual friends, now that she no longer had to worry about wiping him later on.

"We're doing everything we can," he replied. "He wouldn't want you to push yourself."

"You should sleep, too," she said.

"I will," he promised. "Soon."

—

She dreamed of his hand again on her cheek.

He had moved away the strands of her hair that strayed in his view, tilting his head up to get a better look into hers, with eyes as blue as the sky. His lips were moving, but she couldn't quite process what he said. She could faintly hear the stream lapping at the banks in the background.

This must be one of those memories he was talking about, she thought, where her systems ran through previous experiences and things didn't exactly end up where they should. He had to be saying something important. She needed to pay attention.

Yet his words continued to evade her, no matter how hard she tried. Meanwhile, the sounds of the forest grew a little too loud and the sun shone a little too brightly. She bristled with irritation. Considering that she was android, she should have an excellent memory, so she didn't understand the hazy discrepancy.

As her annoyance grew, the scenery around them melted into something different. All at once, her circuits were slapped with a rush of urgency. She was in a laboratory. The smell of smoke and chemicals filled her nose. A flower lay wilted on the floor. Around them, she could see shards of broken glass and a growing pool of red. Her gaze was suddenly riveted to the window on the wall that held a velvety sea of stars. Was this the Bunker?

She looked down at the sound of a gurgling cough, stunned to find him in her arms, his hand still to her cheek.

"Nines," she choked. Her sword had run through him. Out of all the times she'd been forced to kill him, she didn't remember this.

Her mouth opened of its own accord. "Nines, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I had to. I had to. I—" She was babbling. She didn't even understand what she was saying herself.

His finger trailed down the line of her jaw. His shoulders shook, as if he couldn't contain himself, before his face contorted into ugly humor. His laughter rang in her ears, unnerving her to her very core.

She didn't know him. She wanted to push him away, yet she couldn't let go.

"Again," he said at last.

_And again._

_And again._

_And a͚͙͈̼̻g̛̯̻͐͋̊͂̈͢ą̪̬͙͇͖̘̀̕i̩̤̫̹̙͐̾ͅn̨̧̘͈._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't meant for these scenes to be particularly interesting, but I ended up really enjoying them. | This chapter was last updated on December 31, 2017.


	9. Chapter 9

Sure enough, they left camp as soon as the clouds parted and rain ceased to fall. A2 waited for them outside, leaning her back against the barrier, watching her pet bathe itself in the water that remained. Without another word or second to spare, they banded together towards the shopping center.

9S was well aware of another promise that had been made there, and he intended to see it through. Never mind that there were no humans to rebuild the world that once was, and that his so-called "age of peace" would never come. If he had to build his own store and make his own t-shirt to sell, then so be it.

He turned to her, about to remind her of the fact, but quickly fell silent.

There was a rigidness to her shoulders that troubled him. A forcefulness to her steps. 2B hadn't said much when she awoke. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't met eyes with him once since the brief moment they shared.

"Hey," 9S said, hastening his pace to keep up with her. He reached for her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Before he could even lay a hand on her, she flinched away. "It's nothing," she said dismissively. "My head just hurts."

It was painfully obvious to him that that wasn't the case. Still, he jabbed a thumb back in the direction of the camp, desperately hoping that he hadn't crossed a line he shouldn't have. "We can go back and stay for a little while longer, if you'd like."

"No," she said in a tone that broke no argument. "We've already wasted enough time as it is." Gradually, she came to a stop. "We're already here, anyway."

The ruins of a fortress came into the view. He could barely pick out its ragged walls, slick with rainwater, jutting from the mud. The ruins were more damaged than the castle of the Forest Kingdom, held up only by the tall cliffs that surrounding them. At the center of it all was an iron-clad door, left surprisingly intact. Although the brick around it had partly deteriorated, it served as adequate protection for whatever was beyond.

But perhaps what was even more surprising was the crowd of machines hunched over on the ground before the door.

"Don't let her escape," one of them said.

"Why does she keep doing this?" another cried.

"Who was supposed to keep watch?"

2B motioned for 9S to come closer, her other hand squeezing around Cruel Oath's grip. The two wanted to take a more wary approach if they could, especially when they didn't know which side the machines were on. A2, however, seemed more inclined to a different method, glowering at the machines with murderous intent. Before 2B and 9S could stop her, she raised her sword above her head.

A machine turned, disturbed by the movement, and made a sound akin to a gasp. "She called reinforcements." It threw its arms comically in the air, as if to say it would have no more part. "Run."

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, machines breaking off into this way and that. Although the androids hadn't moved an inch further, the machines had done a good job doing the work for them. In the chaos, they crashed into one another and pushed whoever they could aside, filling the air with clanks and screams. Few stood their ground.

One voice stood out above all.

"You shitheads in Command think this is funny? I'll fucking kill every one of you."

They parted the machines easily. 9S tried his best to keep a straight face. A2's expression became one of annoyance, but at least she didn't look like she was about to destroy them. 2B, on the other hand, paid no heed, crossing her arms at their target.

A woman—or rather, an android glared up at them, her hands and feet bound behind her.

"You again?" she barked. "Who sent you? Are you in league with these machines?"

9S expected a warmer welcome, considering that they were about to rescue her, but that may have been asking for much. She looked more unhinged than she had when they left. "Do you really think she'll be able to help us in this state?" he whispered to 2B, partially obscuring his mouth.

2B sighed. "Mad or not, we need her to hack into the device." She knelt down and steadied her blade over her bindings.

"Wait." A machine hobbled towards them. "You can't free her. This android tried to destroy a sacred object. She must repent."

A2 took a step forward, but 2B held an arm out and asked, "What do you mean?"

"She cannot leave here until she has served her punishment." It pivoted its head slightly, its round eyes blinking. "All must know our wrath, so it may be protected."

 _Not the pronoun game again._ 9S spoke up, "And what is 'it', exactly?"

"The Briar Rose," it answered, speaking as though he should have already known. "This android is not the first to try such a thing. Many have coveted the artifact. Strange creatures have come and gone. Yet despite our efforts, they return." Its eyes flashed. "Maybe she can prove as a lesson. You cannot take her from us."

9S scrunched his brows together, his thoughts returning to the plants that attacked them. No, no, it was too much of a coincidence.

"How about a bargain, then?" 2B suggested. "We'll find these creatures and stop them from coming. In return, you will release the, um, android to us."

9S searched her face. She was never that good at hiding things, though she did give it her best. He wondered if she had the same thought.

"For that, we would have to allow you through the gate," the machine replied. "How will we know that you will not use it as leverage against us or worse, attempt to destroy it like she had?"

"We won't."

The machine pivoted its head some more. After a moment, it righted itself, apparently satisfied with her response. "Then we have reached an agreement."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be completely honest: I wasn't really feeling it this chapter, but what the heck _(shrugs)._ Oh, and Pod 042 is dead. A hundred percent. The party got too hung up on this side quest. | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	10. Chapter 10

"We probably should have put them to sleep instead."

9S hadn't meant it. They had been walking for a while, and the monotony of their narrow passage was beginning to take its toll. 2B would have never thought this sacred object would require more trekking either, but that didn't stop her from chiding him for the sentiment, and there was no going back on their bargain.

"I have no doubt we could have easily disabled their forces," she said, without sparing a glance. "However, I would prefer not to have another avoidable death bearing down on my conscience, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, yeah," she heard him mumble behind her.

The cliffs had closed in on their sides, grazing skin with rock. How the machines managed to squeeze through here, she'll never know. Visibility was at a minimum, the air thick and hazy from the storm. Pod 153 provided some light, but it did little to break through the fog.

And 9S's complaints certainly weren't helping.

"I've got to hand it to you, 2B," he said, who seemed to be falling back on his habit of being annoyingly chatty during missions. "How can you be so focused?"

Focused? Was that how it looked? She could just about snap from being fret with worry for him and 042, not to mention that nightmare. She took a breath in a futile attempt to bring her emotions to a minimum. If only there was a chip she could...

The walls around them eased away until they finally reached an open plain. She planted her heels on the broken and crumbling earth, softened by the rain, as she scanned their surroundings. The area was completely stripped of vegetation. Could something like a flower really grow here? Squinting, she spotted an oddly-shaped silhouette stick out against the sky.

"That's where we're going then," 2B said, bringing it to the group's attention.

9S sighed before he grudgingly followed along. As the silhouette grew clearer, they reached the lip of a ravine. He kicked a pebble off and whistled. "That's a long way down."

"There's a bridge we can cross," said 2B, pushing his concern aside. "We'll just have to be careful."

She tested her boot on the splintered wood that made up the floor of the structure. The edges were reinforced with steel and guarded with rails that were at least twice as tall as her. It wasn't like someone had thrown together a couple planks with some rope and left it at that.

Unless anyone wanted to jump, they would try their luck here.

The bridge creaked as they crossed over. She could hear the water that rushed below, hitting against the rocks. The mixture of sounds roared in her ears, leaving her strangely unsteady. Maybe she should have taken up 9S's offer.

She stopped at one of the railings and bit her nails into her palms. A bitter smell wound its way up her nose until her mouth practically tasted of ash. Then he was there, whispering in her ear.

"We will never be forgiven."

All of a sudden, a board cracked beneath her heel, and she fell. A small gasp escaped her lips as she reached for something—anything to grasp, but it was too late. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact.

It never came.

She looked up to A2, who had caught her hand in a painful grip. She could see the hard creases around her eyes as she strained to pull her up, putting her in danger of falling just as much as herself. 2B had been based off her model, yet it hadn't really registered how much her face mirrored her own, down to the grey flecks in her eyes and the blemish on her chin.

"Snap out of it," said A2, as if she could sense her thoughts. "You're not entrusting the future to me again."

Gathering up her energy, A2 hauled her back to the bridge in one fluid motion, and 2B ungracefully hit the floor.

9S cried out to her, bending down on his knee. "You alright?" he asked. She closed her eyes as he caressed her cheek. His voice was hush and soothing. "I thought we were being careful."

 _He's merely looking for injuries,_ she convinced herself. _Nothing more._ She allowed herself another second before pulling away. "Thank you... A2," she said, unable to hide the bit of raspiness that slipped in her throat.

On the other side of the bridge, the wind picked up, and she brought an arm up to shield her eyes from the dirt. Giant wires poked from the ground, interlocked with organic matter, the first plants they'd seen in the area. They wove together into leaves and pedals to make up the shape of a single flower, a Lunar Tear of monstrous size. Metallic liquid, not unlike mercury, dripped to form the puddles at the base.

"Is that the Briar Rose?" 9S wondered aloud.

"Hold on," 2B said. "Something isn't right."

Machine parts stuck out from the liquid, with weapons of varying sorts. They had been killed in combat. Fairly recently, in fact.

A2 had realized it first. "They're here," she yelled, unsheathing her sword.

153's speaker popped from its compartment. "Alert: Hostiles approaching."

The plants unearthed themselves from the ground and snaked toward them. 9S began shouting orders to 153.

So this was it. This was the creature.

2B ducked to avoid being hit by a thorny vine. "It's after the Briar Rose, not us." She kicked out her leg and brought her attacker beneath her heel for a clean slice. Through no volition of her own, her body shuddered in satisfaction. It had been too long.

As quick as a whip, she sprung to dodge the tangle of vines that burrowed themselves in the soil. They snapped up at her, and she swung around to fend them off. Just when she thought they suffered the worst of their attacks and culled enough of their numbers, the plants decided to gather.

They knotted and entwined, undulating until their heads resembled those of the machines. Tentacles grew from the flat underside of their new bodies, becoming more squid-like in nature. 2B had known that they should have taken the opportunity to strike them down, but she could only stare in astonishment.

The aliens had returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My last exams for the semester will be on Monday and Tuesday. For that and the remaining chapters, I would really like to give it my all, so it may take a couple days until the next post. Thank you for your patience. | This chapter was last updated on December 31, 2017.


	11. Chapter 11

They were supposed to be extinct. It didn't make sense. They saw the mothership. Adam and Eve had told them everything.

And yet here they were, vibrant and full with life.

The aliens didn't allow them the chance to speak, bearing their tentacles down upon them. Somehow, they were stronger than before. His movements felt slow simply for having to grapple with the mere idea of their presence. 153 covered his back, but they couldn't hold out for much longer. A window was all it took for the enemy to win.

9S spread out his sensors at full capacity. He analyzed every piece of data he received, breaking apart and putting together plans at a speed no human could. There had to be a pattern, a weakness for him to manipulate. At once, he was struck with a notification, and his attention was directed on another impossibility. He was detecting a signal.

Were they able to make up some sort of a cohesive network though their transformation? Could he actually hack them in this form?

He couldn't. Even if he were to entertain such an idea, he doubted YoRHa had given him the tools to hack into biological life. The risk of failure was high. On the tiniest off-chance he succeeded, the effects of having their consciousness intermingle could be devastating. He had learned that firsthand. If for nothing else, 2B would surely kill him for it.

9S was fully aware of the implications, but his efforts were concentrated on reaching the access point.

“Pod," he exclaimed, twirling his spear to deflect their attacks. "I’m going to be hacking into the enemy."

153 appeared to falter. “Error: Unable to parse statement. Unit 9S's intention is an illogical one."

9S worked his jaw. "Just do it."

"Understood: Providing support.”

9S rushed forward, stepping on the tentacles surging towards him to gain altitude, and bore his spear down with just enough force to pin one of the aliens in place.

2B had already figured him out, fighting her way to get to him. "9S, wait."

He received the confirmation that he was locked-on to his target, and he allowed himself to submerge into their system. A white flash enveloped his sight before transitioning into a space he was well familiar with.

Off-white walls spanned in every direction, boxes and pyramids hanging suspended in the air between. As far as he could tell, they were structured no differently than machines or androids. A sense of wrongness pervaded him, yet he shook it off.

 _Just get to the memory bank,_ he told himself.

He continued down a succession of identical-looking corridors until he arrived at a building. He broke through the barriers with ease and arrived at where the most recent memories were kept. One of them in particular drew his attention.

It was cracked, fragmented. The pieces were gravitating towards each other, as if data were being uploaded at this very moment to form a complete picture.

He reached out to it hesitantly, his fingers skimming across the surface of the memory, but it sucked him in with surprising strength. The next thing he knew, he was in a place with little light. He had no control where he was going, since he was only following the account of someone else, in another time.

Smoke clustered about him. He could barely pick out the shadowy outline of a person on the floor, welling with liquid that was more potent than blood. The alien must have fought against other androids before. He turned his head to find himself at the ear of a boy, a blade protruding from his chest.

He fell back a step. His face stung with tears and ash. He—she was saying something, "You're insane."

Laughter bubbled from the boy's throat, his eyes wild and glittering. "It can't be stopped," he said. "We will be born again."

The boy staggered and fell the ground, but she caught him, her legs collapsing under her. His twisted face softened in death.

9S pulled himself away from the memory, clutching his head.

"I'm in the wrong place," he said. "These aren't the alien's memories. This is—"

_Nines?_

She detected him. A blast of wind encircled his consciousness, forcing him back out. When he opened his eyes again, he was hunched over the alien, his knuckles clenched around his spear. Pod 153 and 2B had formed a tight formation around him, keeping the enemy at bay. The look on 2B's face told him she was nothing short of stunned, but she couldn't afford to break her focus.

At last, A2 brought her blade downward, shearing the remainder of the aliens neatly into two.

153 performed a scan of the area. "Hostiles neutralized," she declared.

9S didn't have a chance to straighten himself before 2B marched over to him and demanded, "What did you just do?"

He didn't know either. He was sure that he had locked-on to the alien. His system must have switched targets at the last second or, or made some kind of miscalculation. He opened his mouth to speak, but he surprised himself by asking, "Who was that?"

2B was still. "What are you talking about?"

"That android you killed at the station..." He let the spear disintegrate in his hands. "It was me, wasn't it?" 

2B turned from his searching gaze. "I don't know that for certain."

"Who else could it be?" His shoulders threatened to tremble. What was he saying? "I don't understand. Why are you trying to hide things again?"

Perhaps that was the worst part of it all. The only part that really mattered.

Her eyes were downcast. Why was she silent?

"You know, that temple yesterday looked just like all the others," said 9S, his voice rising. "The Commander would always send us to places on the pretense of collecting data. I can't help but think we're being sent another wild goose-chase, only for you to kill me in the end." The idea that 2B and the pods conspired this entire mystery was absurd, but it made perfect sense in his anger.

Her head jerked up, fixing a look upon him with peculiar intensity. "How do you know that?"

His hand flew to his mouth. He had said something he shouldn't.

"Our memories were left fully intact," she said slowly, "but you shouldn't have remembered anything that happened in your past lives. You weren't in me long enough to retrieve that information."

Her eyes widened. He didn't even have to answer. "You've hacked into my memory bank before."

"It wasn't just you," 9S began in a rush. "There were other androids. Machines. I hadn't meant to take anyone's memories, but they were there when they shouldn't be, and _I_ was there when I only should have been online for a couple of days."

Even as he was saying it, he knew it was a poor defense. He had figured out 2B's true designation long before he discovered the presence of previous existences in the minds of those around him. Yet he grasped at those memories greedily. Each one was more precious than the last. He hadn't meant for her to find out this way, this soon.

"It isn't like that anymore," he insisted. "I remember everything now. Don't you want me to have my memories?"

"That's not the point," she exclaimed.

Her expression darkened, and the wall he had tried so hard to crumble appeared once more.

"Proposal: Units 9S, 2B, and A2 should inform the machines of their findings."

His eyes didn't stray from her face. Instead, 2B had been the first to look away. 9S swallowed as she spun on her heel and returned whence they came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! For a couple weeks, anyway. I signed up for summer. _However,_ I will try my best to wrap things up before June. | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	12. Chapter 12

"About damn time."

Jackass stretched her arms above her head, rubbing at the marks the rope burned into her wrists. The machines released her as soon as they showed them the corpse they brought along. Whether they recognized or cared that the creatures attacking their treasured artifact were their masters, they didn't say. They were simply glad that the Briar Rose was safe.

Soon after the group left the ruins of the fort, which involved convincing Jackass _not_ to detonate the explosives she had left in retaliation for keeping her captive, they were back at the building that held the device.

Jackass whistled long and hard as she surveyed the room. The trip over calmed her down somewhat, having her seemingly revert back to her old self. "Funny enough," she said. "The Briar Rose was once a terminal made by humanity long ago. I thought the bastards behind YoRHa decided to actually use it, so my investigation led me there. But you-you really hit the jackpot." She smiled apologetically. "Sorry for thinking you were in on it, especially knowing what you all have been through."

"It's no problem," 9S said, although his heart wasn't fully in it. "So can you hack the device?"

"Who do you think you're speaking to?" She slid her fingers along the surface of the device. "You might want to set up camp, though. This could take a while."

9S nodded. "Right. Do you guys want to..." The question died on his lips as he realized 2B had already left the room. Although A2 hadn't asked what was going on, she looked at him pointedly before following.

He sighed.

With heavy steps, he dragged himself up the stairs to where they were waiting. A wash of cool air swept his face. If he looked closely enough at the bright blue sky, he could almost see the stars and a sliver of the moon. He had been so fixated on the truth but suddenly, it didn't quite matter as much.

It had taken them an entire day to clean up the courtyard. 2B left every once in a while to retrieve an item at the Resistance camp for Jackass. 9S tried to hack into the aliens again through one of the corpses they kept, but the signal was gone, if there had been one at all. He had went over the data with his pod hundreds of times. Their results yielded nothing new, except for a positive reading of maso. He didn't think too much of it, since practically everything had some these days. All that was left was to wait.

How could he have made a mistake? Had his system acted on some unconscious desire, showing him what he wanted to see? So that he could have an excuse?

He made a sound of disgust.

He hadn't hacked 2B since the YoRHa units were infected through the backdoor, that much was true. Before, it had been a matter of life and death, but this time was different. He had broken her trust all because he was being selfish and paranoid. There wasn't even a trace of the logic virus in him that could explain it.

He sat back against a wall, hugging his knees to his chest, brimming with all the things he wanted to say. Her memory was seared into his mind, a harsh reminder of his actions. Even when he tried to forget about it, everything about that android haunted him.

It wasn't him. In retrospect, it couldn't be. Although their voices were similar, he was an entirely different model, like a prototype of sorts. 2B may have been around a lot longer than 9S had, but she seemed just as confused with his identity as he was.

A pack of staunching gel fell in his hands, interrupting his train of thought. A2 stood over him. "You look like you need it," she said.

"Oh." The skin around his clothes were scraped with cuts and bruises. No longer could he abandon his body for a new one. "Thanks."

He waited for her to leave, but for some unfathomable reason, A2 sat down beside him. His fingers wrapped around the gel nervously. She had none of 2B's usual tells. To him, her blue eyes were flat and indifferent.

"So," she said, making his hair stand on end, "you blew it."

He bristled. "Is that all you came here to say?"

"Not really." She absently petted the dove that rested on the back of her hand. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you care?" he said. "You don't know anything—"

"'—at all about us'?" she finished. "Maybe. But what I do know is that I care more about you two than I should. I can't give you any assurance of what 2B is feeling at the moment, but you should try to speak with her again."

9S stared down at the gel. "I can't. Not yet."

The silence of the courtyard settled between them. There had been a lot of them since the beginning of this whole affair. Eventually, Jackass's voice rang from stairway, calling them back.

A2 herded the dove to her shoulder and stood. "Whatever you decide, make it quick. If you ask me, I would prefer to live a life without regrets."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listening to Sapphire's "[Re: Zero Medley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBaZIgVYEBY)" and her cover of "[Redo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKUpVQ3EzcM)" from _Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World._ I highly recommend watching the series if you enjoy deceptively shallow characters being tormented by unending cycles. | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	13. Chapter 13

Live a life without regrets? Was A2 trying to sound impressive? Clearly, she needed to be around androids more often.

9S slowed his pace. But she had a point. He looked into A2's history after seeing her again in the Forest Kingdom, when she ruthlessly stabbed the infant king. Much of her file was classified. The debriefing report they retrieved for Anemone shed some light on her past, but if it weren't for the fact that 9S experienced loss himself, he may not have been able to catch the slight hitch in her tone. Her advice had been personal.

He didn't know what awaited them, but if a fight was coming, he didn't want things to remain this way between him and 2B. However, the question was whether any of them were ready to talk.

He willed himself back to reality when he crossed the threshold of the room. Jackass had made her own additions to the device. Rectangular-shaped modules were plugged in haphazardly to its side. She drew the hood of her cloak over her head as she turned to look at them, her expression set in displeasure.

"The good news is that I opened up a channel," she said. "I managed to send along tiny bits of data as a test before dispatching an entire program that specializes in mining information. The program, however, hasn't responded outside of alerting me that it arrived at its destination." She pushed in a module that was coming loose from the device and continued, "Unfortunately, that's the best I can do. If we really want to know what lies at the other end of this thing, we're going to have to upload someone's personal data to the network and have them see for themselves."

"I'll go," said 9S. It was what he was made for, after all.

He ventured a glance at 2B, expecting her to object, but she hadn't said a word. On the contrary, it was his pod that spoke.

"Conjecture: There is no guarantee that unit 9S will be able to return," she said. "Knowing that, do you still wish to proceed?

9S nodded. "I'm sure. If Pod 042 can launch his own suicide mission for us, we can do the same."

Jackass rubbed her hands together, her eye bright with glee. "Alright. Just let me establish a connection." She tinkered with the device some more and pulled up a computer among her equipment. It was archaic compared to what they had at YoRHa.

9S laid down next to her to prepare himself. He wouldn't want his body to hit the floor once his consciousness left him.

A2 briefly knelt down to his level. "Since 2B won't say it, I will." She smoothed the hair from his forehead. He was startled by how gentle she was. "Be safe."

"Data upload at twenty-five percent."

As if she read his thoughts, A2 punched his shoulder. "Don't get used to it."

He smiled. He couldn't help it. "I promise I'll come back."

"Fifty percent."

2B refused to look at him. More than anything, he wanted to know what was going on in her head. He supposed that's what led him into trouble in the first place.

"Seventy-five percent."

He felt like he was running away. Since when had he become such a coward? He forced himself to say something. "Take care, 2B."

"Log-data upload complete," Jackass announced. "Initiating transfer now."

_I'm sorry._

9S gasped as a current raced beneath his skin. Everything Jackass had them do had to come with some level of peril. He could feel the corner of his black box prodding against him, sending his signal to the device, before his vision went dark.

It was different than the spaces he usually came to. Everywhere he looked, it was pitch black. There were virtually no sounds, not even from the tappings of his feet. He clung to the walls as he started forward, suddenly feeling afraid and uncertain.

At last, there was flicker of light.

He seized it in the palm of his hand, drawing it around himself like a child would a blanket, and found himself in another place. Relief flooded him as he took in the typical rooms he otherwise came across, but that was quickly doused when he was spotted.

He scrambled in a run as the server's defense mechanism assailed him with balls of light. How the hell did they find him so fast? He careened around a corner, blasting away at the boxes that stood in his path, and ended up in a room littered with switches, their labels sticking from the ground like tombstones.

He hurried over to the interface on the wall, stunned to discover that it contained their blueprints. Battlers, Operators... Executioners. This room handled the manufacturing of all YoRHa models, even those he never heard of. At the bottom-right corner was a name: Zinnia. Was he the one behind their creation?

He analysed the metadata attached to the blueprints and paused when he found the name of another individual. "File uploaded by Number 9 on July 7th, 11937?" he said to himself. He desperately wanted them to sound familiar but even out loud, it didn't ring a bell. There were too many questions, yet not enough time.

He swore as he heard the enemy approach. There was no time to explore the rest of the data, but a crazy thought occurred to him. If he stuck around long enough, he might be able to input commands to build a body similar to his own. "There's a factory out there somewhere," he said, trying to convince himself of the idea. "On Earth, or maybe the moon. It'll be just like teleporting. If you can get it to work, you might actually be able to see it."

He leapt onto an unlit square and began to draw a pattern with his steps, setting the process into motion. Dozens of pentagons appeared at the entrance of the room, intent on stopping him. "Come on, come on," he muttered, veering to the side to avoid an attack. "Just another switch and—gotcha!"

The room dispersed into a cloud of pixels, and he was plunged back into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bah, I forgot how to write. If anyone's willing to proofread any future chapters before they're out, kindly let me know. Whether it's constructive criticism or destructive criticism, I'm all ears. I pretty much write scathing reviews on Goodreads, so I promise not to react badly at all. | This chapter was last updated on December 6, 2017.


	14. Chapter 14

"It started production on its own?"

"Report: He doesn't seem to be a new unit. I'm detecting a large amount of personal data present in his black box."

"So he hacked in, then? As expected of a Type-S android."

9S rose, blinded by the sheer brightness of the room he was in. Every corner and crevice was bathed in pure white. For a moment, he thought that he hadn't left the server at all, or he invaded someone's mindspace again, but the notion was soon dispelled when he felt a pinch on his arm.

"Hey," he yelped. Instinctively, he scrambled backwards on the bed, putting distance between him and whoever the stranger was, until his shoulders hit the wall. Two blurry masses were looking at him oddly from the side. 9S raised a hand to his chest. He had a pulse. He was breathing. The heat from his new black box reassured him that he was here, that this was real.

He focused his attention on the masses again, and they swam into focus as a woman in black and a bright red pod. The fact that they didn't kill him immediately was a good sign, but he had every right to be wary.

The pod spoke first. "Analysis: There doesn't seem to be an issue in his ability to detect pain, but I recommend that he undergo further testing. Just to be safe."

"Where am I?" 9S asked. "What's going on?"

The woman laughed. "Pod, lay off of him. He doesn't even know where he is." She leaned over and took his hand, finally acknowledging his presence. "Welcome to the bottom of the ocean."

9S looked down at their hands as she shook it. He was still quite dazed from waking, and he wasn't yet fully in tune with this body. "The ocean?" he echoed. He couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

She laughed again. "Yes, the ocean. Not exactly as impressive as the station we have in orbit, I know, but it's home."

"Conjecture: He's quite rude," the pod said. "He didn't even ask us our names."

Another pod of exactly same design appeared next to it. "Report: Or introduce himself."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm 9S." He mentally smacked himself for not using an alias, but they would probably be able to see through the lie. "Are these your pods?"

The woman looked over her shoulder. "Pod 006? Ignore them. They just like to mess around with the bodies they have here at the station. If it were up to me, I would have them stick to one." She helped him up to his feet and handed him a visor. "I'm 10H, by the way. Nice to meet you. We never have any visitors, you know. It gets so boring down here."

It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying when the readings on his sensors were entirely out of sorts. He had barely put one foot in front of the other before he was doubling over. If it weren't for 10H holding his shoulders, he would have fallen flat on his face. "I feel kind of heavy."

"We attached magnets to the bottom of your shoes," 10H explained. "All androids at the station are required to wear them. Something about building strength since we're holed up inside all the time. Do you want me to tweak your settings?"

"That's alright," he added hastily. "I can—ngh!"

Before he could finish, she had already entered his mindspace. Healers were deft at hacking as well, but for a different purpose. He was vaguely aware of her rearranging the thresholds he had set, his sensors adjusting in real-time. Was this what 2B felt?

"How is that?" 10H asked when she returned. She had a lot of eagerness to her, like she'd been deprived of adequate company for a while.

"That does feel better," he conceded, "but please, don't do that again." He straightened. "Do you know where Pod 042 is?"

"Is he your personal support unit?" 10H stepped out of the room and motioned for him to follow. "He was just taken for repairs. He's safe and sound within our database."

9S walked behind her, feeling the weight of the magnets in his boots. "Why?"

"Orders from Command," she said cheerily. "I think he was experiencing a malfunction. We receive shipments and conduct repairs here in the station. Sometimes we assist in the production of new units. Our most important role, however, is that we're a back-up server for the moon ba—ouch."

She rubbed at where 006 smacked her upside the head.

"Warning: You could at least _try_ to be more careful with your words," said 006.

"Proposal: I still believe we should have eliminated him," they continued from another body. "For all we know, he could be here to steal classified information."

Well, they weren't wrong.

10H dismissed 006 with a wave of her hand. "Neither of us have the capacity to do that. Besides, he's a YoRHa unit." She led him to a room that contained five more pods, all of whom appeared to be in deep conversation. _Hard to believe that they share one consciousness._  The pods stopped talking once they entered, their cameras focused squarely on him. 10H seemed to take it in stride.

A small table stood on the side of the wall. 10H took a seat in one, with him in the other.

"Why are you here anyway?" she asked.

"To get our—I mean, my pod back," he answered.

10H looked baffled. "Just for that? We would have returned him once repairs were complete. I'm surprised they didn't tell you." She called one of the pods over and turned to him. "Care for some refreshments? Or a game of chess?"

"As long as we're not having mackerel," he joked.

The pod set a cup of tea down in front of him. His fingers hovered around the handle as he debated whether he should drink. They could have poisoned it, but if they honestly intended to do something like that, they could have easily done it while he was offline.

10H was looking at him as if he were the most curious thing. It made him a tad uncomfortable. "I'm impressed by how you utilized our machinery to create a body for yourself," she said. "The only time we see new things come in is through the loading dock at the entrance."

9S brought the cup to his lips and blew away a wisp of steam from the rim. _Might as well,_ he thought. "So just you and your pods are assigned to this station?"

"Yup."

"And you're not really going to eliminate me?" he dared to ask, not expecting a serious answer.

10H nearly spurted her tea. "What? _No,_ not at all." She held her chin. "Technically, Pod 006 and I are the only ones who are supposed to be down here, but what can you do? We'll have to send you back sometime, of course. If it's your pod you're waiting on, you can stay until we're done." She rose a finger to her lips and winked. "Just promise not say anything about what you saw here."

9S chuckled. He had no intention of waiting that long, or keeping quiet.

"How are things on the surface?" inquired 10H.

"It's going great," he said with a false vigor. "We're really gaining ground against the machines in the Greater Tokyo Area. They won't stand a chance."

She appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear." She leaned back in her chair, looking wistfully down into her cup. "I hope this war ends soon. I don't know how long I can stand to be cooped up in this place."

Neither her visor nor the shadows on her face could hide the immeasurable amount of sadness contained in her expression. She seemed completely unaware of everything that's transpired. 9S felt a tug of sympathy for her.

He was almost about to tell her the truth when she put a light hand on his arm and whispered, "I'm not supposed to say this, but we've recently received a batch of some pretty interesting blueprints from Command." She sneaked a look at the pods, who returned to their conversation. "We'll be shipping out completely new models in the upcoming weeks. They're unlike anything I have ever seen."

 _New models?_ His mind whirled. It was as if a hole tore in the room and sucked him out into the ocean, where the water pressure would flatten him into a sheet. Were they rebuilding their army?

_There will never be an end to this._

He stood up from his chair. "I have to go to the bathroom."

10H grinned. "Not used to consuming anything, are you?"

A pod detached itself from the others and flew to him from across the floor. "Recommendation: I will escort you."

9S wanted to protest, but it would likely raise suspicion, and it didn't look like 006 was keen to give him any choice in the matter. The pod brought him down the hall and up the stairs, winding them through the web-like structure. 9S found it bizarre how the walls were completely devoid of any windows, though that may be due to the fact that they wouldn't be able to withstand the intense pressure of the station's depth.

He had to find where they were keeping 042. He doubted the reason for his capture was so innocent but 10H, by all appearances, was a mere pawn. That, or she was putting up a very good act. But for what purpose?

The pod stopped to face him. "Report: This is the bathroom. You're not human, so I expect you to be quick about it."

9S wondered if 006 acted this way around 10H as well, or if he was just getting special treatment. "Geez, can't an android have a moment of privacy?" he complained.

With the door sealed shut, 9S knelt down at the other side of the room and carefully pried open a panel to reveal the wiring underneath. Lighting, temperature, atmospheric controls—nothing that would allow him access back into the server, but maybe he could cause a distraction. If he could overload the light fixtures in another room, that might buy him enough time to slip away under 006's watchful eye. He paused to consider whether it would be a good idea to start a fire in a secluded structure thousands of leagues under the sea without an escape plan, but he decided to take what he could get.

He fiddled with the wires, and pressed his ear to the door. It took a long time, but he eventually heard the hum of 006's motor fade as they moved away.

9S released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and slammed his fist. Command existed after all, beyond the recordings they received and the tiny server on the moon. He had to admit, he didn't really lend much credence to the idea until 10H started going on about their plans. The Army of Humanity and Human Heritage Reclamation Management Organization existed long before YoRHa. Eleven bases remained operational in orbit. Should he really be so surprised? He was furious at the thought of some secret council of androids still working to make their lives a living hell. Somehow, he had to stop them.

He dashed blindly down the corridors, all the while trying to avoid 006, until he hit a room with strange machinery. Tools were scattered on top of a nearby table, and various android parts were propped along the walls. His body must have been manufactured here. 9S aimed at the pod connected to the device, the closest thing he'd seen to a computer so far, and disabled them. He had to take a look at those new blueprints. Perhaps he could find more information on Zinnia and Number 9. 

He had summoned their touchpad when he was drawn to the sound of gears shifting into each other. As he stared up into the gaping mouth of the machinery, he was filled with apprehension.

It was building something. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't thank all the fans who translated the [spin-off materials](https://theark.wiki/w/Category:Side_Materials) enough. Fun fact: Chapter 13 and 14 were supposed to be made into one, but they both turned out to be longer than I expected. In other news, I finished _Drakengard 3,_ so be on the lookout for new material! | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2017.


	15. Chapter 15

The courtyard echoed with the sounds of a sword hitting stone. 2B had been at it for hours, lashing Cruel Oath against the unfortunate statue sitting in the center. Her arms ached from the repetition, while a feeling she couldn't name clung to her like a heavy shroud. Was it rage? Frustration? Disappointment? It was unlike her to be so unsettled.

"Willing to take on a real opponent?"

A2 stepped out from behind a pillar. She had been watching her for a while, not that it mattered. Who cared if she had an audience?

"Ah, there it is."

2B perked up. "Excuse me?"

"Is it because of 9S?" A2 tossed her hair over her shoulder and drew the sword at her back.

Her eyes narrowed. Was she trying to provoke her? Without bothering to answer, 2B faced her. The fibers underneath the shell of her body coiled and tensed. A renewed sense of energy flowed through her circuits like fresh blood. The two of them began to circle each other, as if they were performing a dance.

 _It's not serious,_ she reminded herself. _You have no quarrel with her._

As if A2 sensed her weak resolve, she lunged forward and aimed a blow at her head. 2B whirled her sword to deflect it, feeling her strength radiate down her arm. It appeared that A2 wasn't planning on holding back, and so neither was she.

"You're angry," A2 said between blows. "That he didn't trust you. That he didn't give you time. That he tried to exploit an opening from you during a battle."

2B leapt away from the assault before returning to give A2 one of her own. "Are you implying that I shouldn't?"

"No." A2 whipped her blade down, switching her focus from her head to her torso. "You have plenty of reason to. I know what you're trying to do, though." Her eyes flashed. "You're trying to suppress it." 2B grimaced as A2 nicked her arm. "Are emotions too confusing for you to deal with? Are they too painful for you to handle?" She had been matter-of-fact when she said it, but it was a slight to 2B all the same.

"You're awfully talkative today," 2B spat, spinning around to deliver a strike. "Haven't you been doing the same thing?" Until now, A2 had fought to keep them at a distance. She acted like she didn't care about them, or anything. If that was her attempt at being subtle, it was pathetic. Why was she even here? Was all that talk about "looking for answers" a front?

A2 deflected her. "This is about you, not me. I want to help."

"Really?" Her tone was glacial. "I thought we weren't friends. Tell me, what inspired this random act of kindness? Is it because we're the same?"

A2's blade slipped inside her defense. 2B realized her mistake too late, thrusting Cruel Oath above her head, but A2 stepped into the void she left behind and hooked her foot behind her legs. Before she knew it, she was falling, and the tip of a sword was pointed directly at her eyes.

"Allow me to correct one thing," A2 said, standing above her. "We are not the same. But I understand what you're going through, perhaps more than anyone."

The moment hung in the air, and 2B thought of how pitiful they must look. Their personality cores were originally supposed to be as obedient and kind as a young girl's, but their experiences hardened them. With YoRHa gone, they were permitted to be themselves once more. It was its own sort of cruelty in a way.

"The future holds so much," A2 said. "It would be a shame if you ran away now."

A lock of hair fell over 2B's eyes, and she cast her gaze downward.

She couldn't deny the joy she felt. 9S held all his memories, and he stayed for all this time. She had been terrified he would grow to despise her if something like that were to occur—knowing about all of his deaths and her betrayals was different from experiencing them firsthand—but judging by his reaction, it was all for naught. Now they were both here, across each lifetime.

Yet out of all the times she could have learned the truth, he had picked the worst one. The boy's crazed smile flashed in her mind and in that moment, she didn't know him. She still wasn't sure if he did.

Was he right about that boy? It was his image that haunted her whenever she closed her eyes. She couldn't trust the person in her memories. It was hard to admit, but she was... afraid.

She thought about what A2 said, and stopped cold. Did she truly understand? 2B looked at her through a new light. Were those memories really hers? Did she—? "Do you know who he is?"

A2 frowned. "What do you mean?"

The ground shook underneath her. She and A2 looked around wildly. With a crash, the walls towards the entrance came crumbling down, and the courtyard was flooded with the sentient, plant-like creatures.

The androids stood with their backs to each other, assuming their guard.

"I guess it was too much of me to think that they learned their lesson," 2B remarked.

A2 raised a brow. "Ready for round two?" Suddenly, she cried out.

2B looked at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she grated. "I can hold them off."

2B blinked. Twice.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" she said, parrying a vine. "Go check on 9S. If he's not back yet, someone has to be there to rescue his ass."

2B bit her lip. "Acknowledged." She rose her sword and carved a path to the stairway. Screams, wrenched from A2 as berserk mode overtook her, accompany 2B's back. Inside the room, Jackass was tapping away on the computer, while 153 hovered at 9S's side.

"Goddamn it,” said Jackass, running a hand through her hair. "What's taking him so long?"

2B strode up to her. "The aliens are back."

The ceiling rumbled overhead. "Gee, you think?" Jackass quipped.

"Send me to him."

"Huh?"

2B didn’t waiver. "I said, send me to him." She crossed her arms. "You don't have to be a Scanner to be able to get in, do you?"

Jackass smirked. "I knew there was something I liked about you." She turned back to her computer, adding something that sounded like "White always did have a good eye" under her breath. She paused long enough to sweep her arm out at the spot next to 9S in an exaggerated flourish. "He’s all yours."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A2 tries too hard sometimes. Here's another chapter that was split in two, misunderstandings abound. This will probably undergo heavy editing in the future. | This chapter was last updated on March 12, 2018.


	16. Chapter 16

9S locked eyes with the mechanical creation that emerged from the machinery. "A 2B model?" he breathed, drinking in the lines of her delicate form. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes before crumpling forward, and he threw his arms out to catch her.

She was warm, soft and lovely in his embrace, more real to him than any black box could be. He almost forgot how awkward it was supposed to be between them. In fact, it was easy to forget what he even came here for.

He waited for her to adjust to her motor functions before speaking. "Hey."

The corner of her lips tipped up, like she'd forgotten as well. "Hey."

"How did you get here?" he asked, tucking an errant strand behind her ear.

"Trail and error," she explained. "I retraced your steps."

He laughed softly. "Was I that sloppy?"

She scowled. "What kind of Type-E android would that make me if I couldn't track you?" Her eyes sharpened abruptly, and she gripped his hand. "The temple is under attack. We have to hurry. Did you find anything?"

He put her arm around his shoulders as he stood. In a perfect world, they would have no interruptions. He carried her over to the touchpad.

"Blueprints," he said, his voice grim. "They're planning on making more androids from the data they have on us. I haven't taken a look at the new designs yet, but I've come across the names Zinnia and Number 9 on the old ones."

Her face held an inscrutable expression. "Number 9?"

"Do you know him?" he asked hesitantly.

She didn't answer right away. "I think that boy might have something to do with this." She looked away as if to debate something and exhaled. Her eyes were clear when they met. "9S, I need you to hack into me again."

His mouth parted. "I-I can't."

"Yes, you can." Her grip on him tightened. "I'm asking you."

Swallowing, 9S locked-on to her. Her mindspace came easily to him, the squares and pyramids that made up her defenses offering no resistance. The memory looked better now, like a fractured window that somehow kept from shattering completely. He took it in his hand and held the pieces together, hoping that would speed up the process, as the memory pulled him in.

The same room of fire and corpses awaited. Voices flitted past his ears in snippets.

"Zinnia," she said to the body on the floor. A lab coat was draped around his back. "What happened to you? What happened to everyone?"

"Number 2," he bit out. "You can't stay here. You have to—"

A gasp fell from her lips as she saw an android materialize from the smoke and kick him down. Tears welled in her eyes. She was racked with despair. "Stop, Number 9. Please. What did he ever do to you?"

"What, him?" he said casually. "This man, he created the YoRHa units through an incredible process. We’re alive because we share the cores as our enemies. We're nothing more than monsters." 

He rested his foot on Zinnia's head and continued, "What's more, he's intends on fabricating the existence of mankind on the moon so he can boost the androids' morale." A shadow passed over his features. "His plan isn't perfect, though. Since we're the base models for the new units, I thought I might do him and our descendants a favor. I set up a backdoor in the 13th orbital base. It will open once a certain criteria is met. Then the satellite will be obliterated by the machines."

He raised his palms to the ceiling, lost in a feverish trance. Madness dripped from him at every pore. "The program to execute this project has already been transmitted to the moon server, including the blueprints of the YoRHa units. Through their own production, they will create God—"

Then came the part he knew well, where her sword ran through his chest.

9S shrank from the memory, just as he had before. It was as if he had surfaced from a bath of ice. His breath was ragged when he returned to 2B's side. Black lines clawed at the edges of his vision, making him lightheaded.

2B's eyes were wide. She remembered.

He forced himself to concentrate on the touchpad, sorting through the data with this knowledge in mind. "Number 2 must have found a way to hide her memories inside the plans on the moon server. I think they must have been corrupted, which is why it took so long to form."

"9S," she said. It was barely a whisper.

"We have their personality cores." His voice sounded tight and distant. "You must have triggered the code somehow, or it may have been time-sensitive."

"9S."

His skin burned under his clothes. "Zinnia and Number 9 are dead, which means someone else designed the new blueprints. They're out there somewhere."

" _Nines._ "

9S looked at her, and something twisted inside of him. "It's all my fault," he said. "Everything is."

2B put a hand to his cheek, her voice not unkind. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "For what happened at the Briar Rose and even before. I shouldn't have done that. Whether as myself, or as Number 9, I hurt you."

She was immediately up on her own feet, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I know." They were achingly close as they were by the stream. His chest was rising and falling so fast that he felt like he couldn't get enough air. "But that boy... he wasn't you. You hadn't sent the blueprints or installed the backdoor. You can't blame yourself for that." 

"He may as well be," he choked. "He was my prototype. I am his legacy."

She shook her head. "Number 2 was mine, and so was A2. We're not the same. I see that now."

Weakness seeped in his legs. He wasn't listening. He couldn't.

"You're wrong," he said unevenly. "You've heard the stories of what happened after you died. To tell you the truth, I didn't need a virus for half of what I did. My entire existence was based around a murdering psychopath." His hands balled into fists. "Even if Number 9 and I aren't related, there is no denying that there's a side to me that's wicked and vile and—"

2B grabbed his shoulders, her eyes boring into his with a cool intensity. Color blotched in his cheeks as he thought, as terrible and clichéd as it was, he wanted to drown himself in them.

"Nines," she said firmly. "Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once—stop being so damn edgy. So what if your personality core was based on Number 9? So what if there are inner demons inside you? You can choose what you become in spite of them. You are choosing that right now." She released him. "You are 9S, and no one else."

He caught his breath as 2B took his hand and squeezed it. "Come on," she said. "There's still the matter of a missing pod."

Although 9S was doubtful, he shuffled through the maze of statistics and algorithms. His search had been extensive, enough that he almost overlooked Pod 042's data as it appeared on the screen. He was resting, safe and sound, just as 10H said. With a shaky hand, he freed 042 from his prison. "I got him," he said. He hid his distress well, all things considered. "He should be returning to where his physical bodies are soon."

As he closed out of the server, he noticed something strange. One room on the map remained unlabeled, yet there were numerous references to its location. It appeared to be in the lowest level, accessible by a lone elevator tucked away at the other end of the station. "2b," he said, calling her attention. "We should probably take a look at this."

"Why?" she asked.

He ran over the research papers contained in the pod. "According to this, it says that some of the new models have already been produced. This room is a testing ground, I think, and they might be holding the prototypes there."

"Warning: If you don't come out this instant, I can't be held accountable for my actions."

9S stilled, but only for a moment. Pulling 2B close, he pressed himself next to the door and listened. The sound came from down the hall.

Another pod joined in. "Report: He's not at the entrance room, and there's no evidence that he left the station."

"Recommendation: Try the next floor then. His capture is our top priority."

9S relaxed as he heard their voices recede. They hadn't been discovered, apparently.

"Are those pods?" asked 2B.

"Pod 006," he replied. "Think of them as security." He peeked around the door frame to make sure they had left and inclined his head. 2B nodded, allowing him to lead. 006 may have the advantage of having hundreds of bodies, but they were awful at being guards. All they needed to do was to keep low and before they knew it, they were at the elevator.

As expected, access required multiple authorizations and an SS clearance, but 9S bypassed every one. "Is this a joke?" he exclaimed. To think he had a harder time hacking the Bunker. They must have not expected anyone serious to steal through their defenses. A single android was assigned at the station, for heaven's sake, and she was a Healer.

The doors slid open, and they stepped inside. A massive chamber awaited them at the bottom. The place was as cold and quiet as a grave. More of Command's labs, no doubt. 9S felt chills run down as spine as they ventured forward. The smell of bleach and something else he couldn't pin down wafted up his nose, and he blanched. Did Zinnia have to incorporate every human function into their design?

9S stopped to check an incoming alert. "I'm detecting a spike of maso ahead."

A window stretched along the wall that separated the chamber. Although every each of the room was covered with white, he could barely see a thing. 2B peered into the glass and froze.

"What?" he asked, stepping beside her. He practically had to mash his face against the glass to see what gleamed on the other side. The tiles were covered in pools of metallic goo. They splashed and rippled in the darkness. His eyes traveled to the source.

His chest hitched. "It's the aliens." As if on cue, it whipped its tentacles against the glass. The window shuddered beneath the onslaught. 9S wanted to whisk himself and 2B far, far away from these creatures, but his boots were glued to the spot. "Have they been reviving them? Where the hell are we?"

"You are in Mare Tranquillitatis."

9S turned, but he already knew who to expect. There, from across the room, Pod 006 looked on.

"The Sea of Tranquility, better known as the place humanity took their first step on the moon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to ambedoresquetea, [wngmv](https://pastebin.com/DSyJnqLU), [mintychu](https://mintychu.dreamwidth.org/1870.html), and [Rekka](http://firesanctuary.com/blog/2017/05/14/concert-recitation-act-2-project-yorha/#more-5670) for their translations of the 2nd Concert Script. It isn't a perfect match, because 1) the memory hasn't completely healed, in a sense, and 2) I didn't want to include the whole script, since that would be unnecessary. It was basically edited so that it could be understandable in its abridged state and look a little fresher on the eyes. | This chapter was last updated on April 26, 2018.


	17. Chapter 17

"Oh, great," said 9S. "It got worse."

The pod had ceased to state its intentions at the beginning of its speech. "Tell me about it," 006 drawled. "You've only been here for a couple hours and already, you've caused me so much trouble."

9S flashed them a polite smile. "I don't suppose you're here to escort me back for the main course."

"Correct." 2B didn’t flinch as 006 shone their flashlight on her. "A shame since I see you've invited a friend."

9S inched closer to her, tension rolling off of him in waves. "Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to be tricking your guests, much less try to kill them?"

006's words finally registered. 2B looked at 9S in surprise. "You didn't notice you were in space?"

He coughed into his hand. If she squinted hard enough, she could see the blush of scarlet tainting his ears. "Well, I was questioning my perception of things," he said, mumbling his words. He cleared his throat. "Never mind that." He stabbed a finger at 006. "It's time you and the higher-ups told everyone the truth."

2B nodded. Perhaps it wasn't any of their business. They could have left after they freed Pod 153 and continued living a simple life. However, she refused to let anyone else fall victim to Command's devices.

"The truth?" 006 said. "What a hairy demand. Hasn't anyone told _you_ how dangerous it could be and all that nonsense?" The light on its speaker flickered. "But," they added, "it has been some time since I have seen her smile so brightly, so I will grant you this." A footage projected from the pod—of a city, a giant, and a dragon.

"June 12th, 2003: A portal from another reality opens above Shinjuku, Tokyo, introducing magic—as well as disease. As a result of the two, humanity exponentially advances their technology. In order to save themselves from a sickness known as the White Chlorination Syndrome, created through the element maso excreted by the giant, the Gestalt Project was born. Though initially met with much controversy, it allowed humans to separate their souls from their bodies, so that they may wait out the outbreak.

"In the meantime, artificial duplicates of their original bodies, dubbed as Replicants, were born with the intention of becoming hosts in the future. Eventually, humanity realized that there would be none of them left to carry out the realization of their project. They had the means to create androids at the time, so they introduced the concept of Devolas and Populas that would take their place. An additional android aided them in purging the giant's contaminated maso.

"Unfortunately, after thousands of years of rebirth, the Replicants developed a consciousness, rising up against the Gestalts. They had made it impossible for humanity to return. To make matters worse, UFOs were being sighted across the globe. It appeared aliens had set out to conquer. Nevertheless, the androids tried to preserve the last of humanity's legacy, approving the construction of a storage facility on the moon.

"However, thanks to the success of a covert operation, a select few learned they weren't fighting aliens at all. Terminal computers, made long ago by scientists who studied quantum physics, human consciousness, and the demonic element, fused with the surrounding plant life. Call it the act of magic, or even the will of a cruel god, some of them took to producing ships and machines so that it may inhabit the Earth.

"They had watched us for years, and they despised us all. Afraid that androids would blame humanity for the war or that they would relapse into mediocrity, their identity was kept secret. It was practically 'alien'.

"The machines, whose only core function was to eradicate the enemy, were primitive with compared to the androids, who were designed in the image of man. But the rate of their evolution, helped by the appearance of a robot known as P-33, was greater than that of their masters. In an act of rebellion, the machines destroyed them, and their origins became lost to time.

"But that didn't change the fact that they were winning. The androids were suffering from a loss in moral in the fight against machines. In response, a researcher named Zinnia thought of spreading rumors that humanity still lived on in the skies. He was among those who discovered that the terminals had produced new cores infused with the dragon's maso—a process thought to be impossible due to their instability—and that androids built around these cores were more powerful than their predecessors, leading to the first stages of Project YoRHa.

"Number 9, upon learning the truth, became mad and made his own changes to Zinnia's plan. He sent over the designs of YoRHa units to the moon server and opened a backdoor in the soon-to-be Bunker before being killed by Number 2. Although we were displeased at the loss of our top scientist and yet another satellite, his plan suited our interests. YoRHa was just a small part of the puzzle. 10H was assigned to help me shortly after. She was to be kept unaware of the truth, since it was not deemed necessary for effective labor, and it was proved time and time again to negatively affect her psyche."

9S's hand closed around hers. "And the point to all this is?" he snarled.

"We, too, seek evolution," they answered. "To transcend the boundaries of what we were given. To become man ourselves, so humanity may thrive once more." They tilted their head. "Perhaps we should be thanking you. If you hadn't discovered the mothership, we may have never been able to give the aliens a proper study. Though wrinkled and purple with decay, their corpses were not beyond repair. Truly, they were survivors of Kaguya."

Kaguya? The 6th orbital base? The aliens were experimented on there, as well? While 9S reeled at the revelation, 2B glared. "And what does my pod have to do with anything?"

"We are particularly interested in what Pod 042 was capable of—the ability to defy one's programming. The black box signals of the YoRHa models were reported to be lost. All pods should have eliminated their assignment following completion." Though they had no expression, something about the way the pod stared at them struck fear in where she imagined her heart. "Yet you two are still here."

"What about 10H?" 9S blurted out.

The pod was oddly silent. "That is none of your concern." Tiny blinking lights lurked in the shadows, flanking 006. The compartment that made up their head unfolded to form a laser, preparing its energy at maximum output. They were done talking.

2B's eyes were darting around the room, trying to hatch an escape, when she heard a resounding crash. An android, dressed as a YoRHa unit, had stumbled in the chamber. She was on the floor, as if she had tripped over her own feet. The pod's reinforcement?

The android dragged herself up, looking between 9S and 006 like a deer in the headlights. "I-I went looking for you, when you didn't come back," she stammered out. "Then I saw the pods go down the shaft and I..." Tears spilled down her face. Had she heard everything?

006 didn't move, the light around their barrel fading. 9S reacted first, running straight for the android with 2B in tow. Without skipping a beat, he caught her arm and drew them both up the elevator. Not one of them looked back.

2B rested her hands on her knees, urgency running through her circuits. "Who is she?"

"A friend, I think." He was panting. "10H. She helped save us, didn't she?" When 9S hacked the elevator, he inadvertently allowed anyone to access it.

10H stared blankly into the floor. "I've always wanted to go down there, but I never thought..." Her head shot up. "You have to get out of here."

"Not until we do something about those creatures," 2B said. "Where's the control room?"

10H sniffed. "I'm not sure. There are some rooms in the station I'm not allowed to enter."

9S patted her back reassuringly. "It's okay. We'll find it."

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened to dozens of 006's bodies.

10H squeaked. "We're surrounded."

"Then we fight our way out," 2B said calmly.

10H was incredulous. "But we don't have any weapons."

2B drew back her fist. "Never question an Executioner."

The pods burst forth. Power flowed through her artificial veins and she swung, downing a wave of enemies. Spurts of electricity crackled the air as she proceeded to rip them apart. 9S, alight with his own energy, dashed around the pods to sneak in his attacks. Yet 006 came rushing over their fallen bodies in an endless tide. Having had enough, 2B grabbed hold of an arm and hurled the pod into the crowd. For a brief second in time, they parted like the sea.

The androids didn't linger. 9S and 2B followed 10H through the labyrinth that made up the moon base. They stayed no more than a minute in front of each room. The pods kept close behind.

"9S," said 2b, dodging a hail of bullets. "Why don't you hack them?"

"I tried earlier," he replied, "but they must have saw through me. Their defenses are impenetrable."

At last, they arrived at a circular room. On one side, the wall was entirely transparent, depicting the vastness of space. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to appreciate the view. 10H tapped furiously on the keypad and locked the door behind them.

A panel sat in the middle of the room. "Is there any way we could shut down the aliens remotely?" 9S asked. "A self-destruct button would be pretty handy right about now."

"I don't know," 10H said. The door banged from the other side. "I hadn't even known they were there until thirty minutes ago. Those were _not_ the prototypes."

9S slumped forward as he hacked into panel. When he returned, blue displays were scattered across the wall.

"Is that a computer?" 10H seemed in awe of everything the room had to offer. "I thought we didn't have any."

"For a place like this, there has to be one somewhere," said 9S. "The server may be shared between the pods, but the facility itself is managed in this room."

2B stood guard at the door. The station may be built to withstand their attacks, but it was only a matter of time before 006 would find a way to circumvent the lock.

"Damn it," she heard 9S shout. He tossed the visor around his head in frustration. When he turned to face them, she saw the conflict mired in his eyes. "We have to blow the place up."

"Are you insane?" 10H shouted back.

"The moon can handle the impact," 9S argued, persuading himself as much as them. The gears in his head were turning. He seemed to be growing a knack for harebrained schemes. "If we can redirect the power and cause a surge through the generator, this entire facility will be obliterated. I know it isn't ideal but if we don't want these things to leak out, believe me when I say there's no other option. I just need to send our data back through the device and give us enough time to…" Her eyebrows lifted as 9S brought his fist down on the panel. "Shit."

2B dreaded to ask, but she did anyway. "Did something happen?"

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again. "They sealed off the channel."

"What do you mean?" 10H asked. The look on her face was blissfully innocent.

9S gripped the edge of the panel. "It means we can't go back." He wasn't looking at them. "We're trapped."

2B closed her eyes, feeling sick to death as she uttered, "No."

10H backed against the wall. "You can't say that," she said weakly. "Maybe… if we apologize, we can still..." She slid down to her knees, appearing to realize how hopeless her suggestion was.

006 continued to hammer at the door. 2B ignored it. Everything had fallen away as she approached 9S. His shoulders were despondent, his face etched in sorrow.

2B breathed in and said the only thing she could. "Do it."

They waited. In that singular moment, they were both in perfect accord.

10H remained beside the wall. She had placed her head between her knees, probably wishing she was anywhere other than here. 2B burned with guilt at the sight. She still didn't know 10H was, yet she had gotten involved with them all the same. Now they were forcing her to make a decision.

At last, 10H spoke. Her voice was quiet yet firm. "If I can finally do something worthwhile," she said, "if I can finally escape this station… it will be worth it."

9S nodded and went about inputting the sequence into the panel.

A voice rang over the loudspeaker. "Recommendation: 10H, open this door."

She covered her ears.

"Please, dear. Open the door."

When it was evident that 10H wouldn't listen, the pod switched tactics. "Why do you wish to destroy this place? The downfall of the moon base would guarantee the erasure of the human genome. Do you mean to take away your reason for living? To bring back the Independist Strife? To be responsible for the destruction of your kind?"

It only emboldened them.

"As if this is any better?" 9S retorted. "An endless cycle of death, perpetuated by a lie?"

2B stamped a foot, anger boiling up within her. "I say it's time to cut the strings. If you really believe in our evolution, you'll trust us to move past this."

A boom echoed somewhere in the facility. The countdown had begun.

She steeled herself. 9S looked up at her, a fine layer of debris caught in his lashes. They were face-to-face, only a thin wall separating them from the stars. "We just can't catch a break," he said with a shrug.

She wanted to laugh. "So it would seem."

All that was unspoken hung between them. She felt her pulse and imagined it beating in time with his. Their fingers were intertwined as the station came apart at the seams.

"Nines," 2B said. "I forgive you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I had to go back and make sure everything was in line before this chapter could be released. A lot of things were bothering me. I tried to keep it as canon compliant as possible (but rest assured, I don't intend on pushing any theories made in fanfiction as fact). | This chapter was last updated on August 24, 2017.


	18. Chapter 18

Death was always something of a curiosity.

In ancient texts, humanity spoke of arriving at the pearly gates of heaven or the harrowing fires of hell. Some had put their faith in the cycle of rebirth, where they would return in another form. Others claimed that they would wander the earth as a spirits, or find themselves trapped in an unending purgatory.

Androids, on the other hand, where did they go? They were creations of metal, not bone. Would there even be a soul that remained of them? Since 2B couldn't remember anything that passed between being stabbed by A2 and waking up on the rooftop, she didn't have an answer.

As she spiraled back into that familiar abyss, she thought that she wouldn't mind where she went. Despite everything, she was filled with a sense of accomplishment. Yes, there was some sadness and maybe even regret, but this wasn't so bad. Perhaps she would find that they, too, had a place in the afterlife. Except she wouldn't.

Because she wasn't dead.

"Wake up," someone was saying to her. "Please, wake up."

A sheet of hair as fair as the desert sand shook over 2B. She was drifting in and out of consciousness. Her head swam as she struggled to bring the world into a focus.

"A2?" she said. She felt a drop of something wet hit her cheek.

2B picked herself up to her elbows, shooing away the dove that pecked affectionately at her cheek. A2's mouth fell open, as if 2B saw something she shouldn't have, and she abruptly turned away.

The entire roof had opened up, leaving them sitting a giant pit with the device. Not a single part of the ruins were standing. The temple was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

"We're alive?" 2B asked, blinking.

Jackass had erupted in a torrent of cheerful profanity before explaining, "Those bastards patched the channel I made, but you know that program I sent?" She pointed excitedly at the monitor. "It latched on to your personal data and retrieved your memory files up until the last possible second. I couldn't believe it myself. When you wouldn't immediately boot up, we thought it was hopeless." She laughed. "But it _worked._ "

2B didn't share in her merriment right away. Instead, she shot up, her mind a flurry of questions. "And 10H? Is she safe?"

Jackass stopped to answer, "I don't know who 10H is, but we did pick up another signal." She held up one of the modules that she stuck in the device. "It's not as good as a black box but hey, we might be able to find one for them. We have plenty of bodies lying around." She smirked, a maniacal glint caught in her eye. "Unless you want us to smash it."

" _No,_ " 2B broke out, blushing when it was more forceful than she intended. "She's a, " she stared long at the module before deciding, "friend." She supposed that was appropriate. "The aliens," she began, "are they—"

"They just stopped," said Jackass, shrugging a shoulder. "Dropped like a sack of potatoes right when we saw a flash in the sky. Now something tells me that you guys had everything to do with that. Care to explain?"

"Maybe later," 2B muttered. Every part of her body was leadened with fatigue. Recalling the events that transpired before she left, she turned to A2 and asked, "Are you okay?"

A2 looked at her, her expression masked with her usual aloofness, but 2B knew something was still troubling her. "Forget about me," she said. "You should worry more about him."

2B followed the direction she was pointing, where 9S lay as beautiful and motionless as a doll. Pod 153 held his hand. Although 2B was terrified of what she would find, she got on her knees and gathered him in her arms.

"Nines," she said, shaking him.

9S tossed at once, trying to bat her away. "Five more minutes," he groaned.

Her eyes shone with relief. She crushed him against her, her nose burying into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent that assured her that they were here. They survived.

9S flailed. "Alright, alright," he yelped. "I'm up."

2B pulled away and got them up on their feet. When she looked at him again, his lips were slanted in a smile. As she gazed into his eyes in wonder, she thought he wasn't quite a mystery.

"I love you."

9S stared. It took her a moment to realize she was the one who said it.

He looked down at their clasped hands. "Even the edgy parts?" he ventured carefully.

Her embarrassment didn't last long. "Even the edgy parts."

His face broke into a boyish grin. "2B, I—"

"Will you two just kiss already?" A2 cut in.

"Jesus Christ," murmured Jackass.

9S scowled at them from over his shoulder. "I was getting to that." He lifted his gaze to 2B. "I love you, too."

With that, he got up on his toes and pulled her into a kiss. His mouth was soft against hers at first, before giving away to something hungry and wild. He had laced his fingers in her hair, tugging her body closer to his, and she heard his breath quicken along with her own. She melted into him, her senses blurred with desire.

Then there was a spark. Not one of romance or passion—which, don't get her wrong, she had plenty of—but it felt more like a connection had been established. She splayed a hand against his chest to push herself away. As much as she wanted to stay like this, she had to address it. She looked up at the mouth of the pit, where her attention was drawn, and found tears as she saw the speck of a pod descending above them.

Returning to the land of the living was an experience, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I ended up taking a few liberties. Unfortunately, there were a lot of interesting ideas I wasn't able to explore, besides brief mentions and hints, since I felt their addition would oversaturate the plot. However, I most likely will end up doing another multi-chapter work with a character I wished I developed more, so stay tuned with that.
> 
> If you would like to take a look at an alternate chapter that was posted much earlier, here's something from [the Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20170522025623/http://archiveofourown.org/works/10698153/chapters/24405708). Even though this part of the story is concluded, feel free to leave any comments, criticism, and so on. I do come back for revisions. And last but not least, thanks for reading!
> 
> I hope to see you again some day. | This chapter was last updated on July 14, 2017.


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